Narrative:

On the south side of miami ARTCC is havana center. Southwest of key west; fl; are two coordination fixes known as canoa intersection on B646 and maxim intersection on G765. 48 miles south of mth is the coordination fix known as tadpo intersection on G448. Flight plans are verbally passed by controllers back and forth via land lines between miami center and havana center. Most air carriers and GA flight plans are kept in a bulk storage computer as proposals and are activated by simply entering the aircraft's estimated time over one of the 3 coordination fixes along with the current altitude and transponder code. Usually when a controller calls another controller via a land line; the other controller will answer the line in a matter of seconds. This usually occurs in less than 5 to 20 seconds. With havana center; this time varies from 5 seconds to sometimes minutes. I personally have waited over 11 minutes for a havana center controller to answer the land line. Some days are better than others; but no day can be considered normal as compared to contacting another controller at a united states center. The problem is not the land lines themselves. The shout lines work; you can even hear the havana controllers walking over to the sector and picking up the handset. The problem is that the controllers do not continually monitor these sectors. When they do not answer the land lines they tell you they are very busy; usually across the room. Many times the warning areas next to G448 (W174C and W465A) and next to B646 and G765 (W174B and W174C) are active surface to FL500. Once the aircraft are within these confined corridors they cannot be turned around safely. The controllers are forced to terminate radar services and put the aircraft on the appropriate havana center frequency. Obviously; this is not a safe practice the miami center controllers are forced into. Unfortunately I do not have the exact call signs or times of these two events that happened. I was not working the key west sector R6/R26 at the time but I was in the control room for another event and reliably heard about the second one that occurred later. During the first event a miami center controller tried calling a havana center controller via the land line; to get them to descend one of two aircraft to avoid a near midair collision. When the havana center controller would not answer the land line the radar controller tried using guard frequency (121.5) to descend the aircraft Y flight and miss the aircraft X flight. A havana center controller finally returned to the sector and descended the aircraft Y flight before separation was lost. During the second event a miami center controller tried calling the tadpo sector to hand off a flight. The controller made his first call at approximately 50 miles before the boundary; and called several times. The havana center controller finally answered the land line just before the aircraft was going to be turned north to avoid going into havana center's airspace. This second incident is the type of incident that is very prevalent during our busy season. Why havana center does not have controllers continually monitoring these sectors is a mystery. As a side note; the aircraft that fly over the tadpo intersection must pay the cuban government a fee to fly over the island. If the fee is not paid the aircraft must fly around the island. Supposedly the fee is less than what the cost of fuel would be to fly around the island. Even though we do not have a us embassy in cuba; we do have a special interest section. When miami center and havana center negotiate a new letter of agreement I believe they go through the special interest section. This problem has gone on far too long. With the increase in air traffic; and being short of controllers at miami center this is an international disaster waiting to happen.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZMA CTLR RPTS INABILITY TO CONTACT HAVANA CTR IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Narrative: ON THE S SIDE OF MIAMI ARTCC IS HAVANA CTR. SW OF KEY WEST; FL; ARE TWO COORDINATION FIXES KNOWN AS CANOA INTXN ON B646 AND MAXIM INTXN ON G765. 48 MILES S OF MTH IS THE COORDINATION FIX KNOWN AS TADPO INTXN ON G448. FLT PLANS ARE VERBALLY PASSED BY CTLRS BACK AND FORTH VIA LAND LINES BETWEEN MIAMI CTR AND HAVANA CTR. MOST AIR CARRIERS AND GA FLT PLANS ARE KEPT IN A BULK STORAGE COMPUTER AS PROPOSALS AND ARE ACTIVATED BY SIMPLY ENTERING THE ACFT'S ESTIMATED TIME OVER ONE OF THE 3 COORDINATION FIXES ALONG WITH THE CURRENT ALT AND XPONDER CODE. USUALLY WHEN A CTLR CALLS ANOTHER CTLR VIA A LAND LINE; THE OTHER CTLR WILL ANSWER THE LINE IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THIS USUALLY OCCURS IN LESS THAN 5 TO 20 SECONDS. WITH HAVANA CTR; THIS TIME VARIES FROM 5 SECONDS TO SOMETIMES MINUTES. I PERSONALLY HAVE WAITED OVER 11 MINUTES FOR A HAVANA CTR CTLR TO ANSWER THE LAND LINE. SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS; BUT NO DAY CAN BE CONSIDERED NORMAL AS COMPARED TO CONTACTING ANOTHER CTLR AT A UNITED STATES CTR. THE PROB IS NOT THE LAND LINES THEMSELVES. THE SHOUT LINES WORK; YOU CAN EVEN HEAR THE HAVANA CTLRS WALKING OVER TO THE SECTOR AND PICKING UP THE HANDSET. THE PROB IS THAT THE CTLRS DO NOT CONTINUALLY MONITOR THESE SECTORS. WHEN THEY DO NOT ANSWER THE LAND LINES THEY TELL YOU THEY ARE VERY BUSY; USUALLY ACROSS THE ROOM. MANY TIMES THE WARNING AREAS NEXT TO G448 (W174C AND W465A) AND NEXT TO B646 AND G765 (W174B AND W174C) ARE ACTIVE SURFACE TO FL500. ONCE THE ACFT ARE WITHIN THESE CONFINED CORRIDORS THEY CANNOT BE TURNED AROUND SAFELY. THE CTLRS ARE FORCED TO TERMINATE RADAR SVCS AND PUT THE ACFT ON THE APPROPRIATE HAVANA CTR FREQ. OBVIOUSLY; THIS IS NOT A SAFE PRACTICE THE MIAMI CTR CTLRS ARE FORCED INTO. UNFORTUNATELY I DO NOT HAVE THE EXACT CALL SIGNS OR TIMES OF THESE TWO EVENTS THAT HAPPENED. I WAS NOT WORKING THE KEY WEST SECTOR R6/R26 AT THE TIME BUT I WAS IN THE CTL ROOM FOR ANOTHER EVENT AND RELIABLY HEARD ABOUT THE SECOND ONE THAT OCCURRED LATER. DURING THE FIRST EVENT A MIAMI CTR CTLR TRIED CALLING A HAVANA CTR CTLR VIA THE LAND LINE; TO GET THEM TO DSND ONE OF TWO ACFT TO AVOID A NMAC. WHEN THE HAVANA CTR CTLR WOULD NOT ANSWER THE LAND LINE THE RADAR CTLR TRIED USING GUARD FREQ (121.5) TO DSND THE ACFT Y FLT AND MISS THE ACFT X FLT. A HAVANA CTR CTLR FINALLY RETURNED TO THE SECTOR AND DSNDED THE ACFT Y FLT BEFORE SEPARATION WAS LOST. DURING THE SECOND EVENT A MIAMI CTR CTLR TRIED CALLING THE TADPO SECTOR TO HAND OFF A FLT. THE CTLR MADE HIS FIRST CALL AT APPROX 50 MILES BEFORE THE BOUNDARY; AND CALLED SEVERAL TIMES. THE HAVANA CTR CTLR FINALLY ANSWERED THE LAND LINE JUST BEFORE THE ACFT WAS GOING TO BE TURNED N TO AVOID GOING INTO HAVANA CTR'S AIRSPACE. THIS SECOND INCIDENT IS THE TYPE OF INCIDENT THAT IS VERY PREVALENT DURING OUR BUSY SEASON. WHY HAVANA CTR DOES NOT HAVE CTLRS CONTINUALLY MONITORING THESE SECTORS IS A MYSTERY. AS A SIDE NOTE; THE ACFT THAT FLY OVER THE TADPO INTXN MUST PAY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT A FEE TO FLY OVER THE ISLAND. IF THE FEE IS NOT PAID THE ACFT MUST FLY AROUND THE ISLAND. SUPPOSEDLY THE FEE IS LESS THAN WHAT THE COST OF FUEL WOULD BE TO FLY AROUND THE ISLAND. EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT HAVE A US EMBASSY IN CUBA; WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION. WHEN MIAMI CTR AND HAVANA CTR NEGOTIATE A NEW LETTER OF AGREEMENT I BELIEVE THEY GO THROUGH THE SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION. THIS PROB HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG. WITH THE INCREASE IN AIR TFC; AND BEING SHORT OF CTLRS AT MIAMI CTR THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.